Hook, Line, and Sinker
by Zana Zira
Summary: In which Noctis is still suffering from the same melancholy he's felt since the day Insomnia fell, the others notice, and Ignis decides to venture outside of his comfort zone in the hope of relieving at least a little of Noct's emotional burden. Friendship and fluff in the land of Duscae! Gen (subtle hints of IgNoct if you squint). Set between Chapters 3 and 4.


**A/N: Here's my first attempt at some lighthearted fluff set in the first few chapters of the game. Let me know what you think - it was definitely fun to write!**

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_"Rise and shine, Your Royal Laziness."_

Gladio's rough baritone cut through the peaceful silence of the morning and into Noctis's dreams, drawing an irritated growl from the Lucian prince. He rolled away from the direction of the sound and pillowed his head on his arms, keeping his eyes firmly closed and hoping if he just ignored his Shield long enough he'd get the message and go the hell _away_.

Apparently the universe hated him, though, because a second later a big hand with Gladio's annoying voice attached to it was on his shoulder, shaking him none too gently and demanding he get up yet again. Groaning, he resigned himself to yet another day of relentless fatigue, just like every other he'd had since Insomnia fell, and allowed himself to be pulled into a sitting position with as much enthusiasm as a rag doll. The perpetually sore muscles in his back protested even that much movement, and he bit down on his lip before releasing a shaky breath. What he wouldn't give for a night in a real bed – _any_ bed, even the rattiest caravan this side of Duscae, just as long as he could get a night of mostly painless, uninterrupted sleep.

"Alright, come on, enough screwin' around," Gladio demanded a little more harshly, obviously starting to lose some of his already limited patience. "We need to hit the road. Iggy's got breakfast ready and it's getting cold, so if you don't hurry it up I'm letting Prompto eat yours."

"Fine," Noctis grumbled with a yawn, stretching until his spine gave several satisfying pops before climbing to his feet and stumbling out of the tent after Gladio. The sunlight glaring over the treetops stabbed into his retinas like a knife; he squinted and shook his head, dragging himself over to the camp chair beside Prompto and slumping into it with a weary sigh.

"Mornin', buddy!" the blond piped up cheerfully, handing Noctis a mug of coffee and earning grateful smile in return. "You up for a little King's Knight this morning?"

"Mmmhhh… Maybe later," he muttered, taking a sip of the deliciously strong coffee and rubbing his temples as he fought to make the rest of the journey into wakefulness. "What's for breakfast?"

As if he'd been waiting for that exact question – and knowing Ignis, he probably had – the chamberlain appeared at his side, handing him a still-steaming plate of fried eggs, lightly buttered wheat toast, and a perfectly seasoned slice of garula steak left over from their dinner the night before. "I hope it's to your liking, Noct."

"Well I don't see any veggies, so that's a great start," Noctis quipped with a smirk.

Ignis rolled his eyes and turned back to the camp stove, packing away the few leftover ingredients while he wiped down his cookware and utensils so they would be ready for the group's next meal.

Noctis hadn't had much of an appetite recently, the lack of sleep and overwhelming grief filling so much of him that some days he wondered whether it was even possible to make room for food around them. Ever-perceptive Ignis had of course picked up on it almost before Noctis himself had, and was now doing everything he could to coax him into eating enough at each meal. It didn't escape Noctis's attention that the dishes Ignis had been preparing lately were much lighter on vegetables than usual, and on more than one occasion recently he had reached under his pillow as he went to sleep, only to find a couple of granola bars or a piece of fruit that had been secreted away there for him. So even though he still felt a pang of nausea at just the thought of eating anything, he decided he owed to his friend to at least try to get some of it down.

The food was delicious, as always, and did wonders to improve his mood. By the time he finished the eggs, toast, and half of the steak, he was actually in pretty good spirits and ready to get moving again. Prompto appeared to be, too, humming contentedly under his breath while he sorted through the dozens of pictures on his camera from the day before.

"So what's the plan for today, Iggy?" the gunner asked, gaze still trained on his camera. "Should we look for new hunts, or are we going to keep moving toward the Disc of Cauthess?"

"Actually, I thought today might be best suited for a bit of relaxation. The weather is pleasant, and it's been some time since we last had a rest," he added when Gladio opened his mouth, cutting off any protest before it could begin. "It might do us _all_ some good."

Noctis yawned again and stood, handing his plate to Prompto so he could eat the unfinished half of his steak. "Cool. I'm going back to bed, then. Thanks for breakfast, Specs."

"Actually, Noct," Ignis cut in, stepping in front of him before he could head back to the tent, "I was hoping you might join me for a bit of fishing this morning."

The younger man blinked in surprise, and then raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Fishing? _You?_ I don't think I've ever even seen you hold a fishing rod."

"Yes, well, as they say, there's a first time for everything. Call it my 'new leaf,' if you will. And I do know quite a bit about fishing, in theory, but I'm sure in practice my technique could use a great deal of work. I was hoping you might be able to instruct me."

A slight flush had crept into his cheeks at this last admission, and Noctis realized Ignis must be dead serious if he was willing to admit there was actually something in this world he wasn't very good at. A genuine smile crept across his lips, and he shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, sure. Why not? You guys want to come, too?" he asked Prompto and Gladio.

"I'll pass," Gladio answered immediately, his sword balanced atop his lap while he sharpened the edge with a whetstone. No surprise there, really; his Shield was definitely a man of action, always ready to take the opportunity for a hunt or some training. Watching Noctis fish was probably as exciting for him as watching the grass grow.

"I'm good too, but thanks for the offer, my dude," Prompto agreed with a sunny grin. "I saw a hill about a mile from here that should have the perfect view for some landscape shots, so if we're staying here all day I'm gonna go ahead and check it out."

"Fine by me." He took a moment to be sure all of the necessary equipment was stored safely in the Armiger before addressing his advisor again. "Alright, you ready to go?"

"Certainly."

The closest body of water was a calm, wide stretch of river about half a mile from the haven, so it only took about ten minutes of walking before they reached their destination. Ignis was the first to spot the weathered, rickety dock that protruded out several feet from the shore and hastily made his way toward it. He took a moment to roll out an old picnic blanket before setting down their chairs, as well as a cooler full of drinks and sandwiches he had somehow had time to pack during breakfast without Noctis noticing. He then retrieved one of their spare Blizzard flasks from the Armiger, removing the cork and pouring it slowly over the drinks until they were well-chilled and a layer of powdery snow had formed inside to insulate them. Ignis took the chair on the left, Noctis to his right, and reached into the cooler to remove a can of his favorite Ebony before offering a bottle of green tea to Noctis, who gratefully accepted.

Noctis retrieved his favorite fishing rod from the Armiger and a second one for Ignis, and then placed a small piece of lunch meat from one of the sandwiches on each of the hooks as bait. He moved his chair closer to the edge of the dock, making sure Ignis could see where he placed his hands when he got ready to cast and pleased to notice the advisor copying the position without being told. Then he flicked the tip of the rod forward with just enough force, watching the lure fly overhead in a graceful arc before dropping into the center of the water with a satisfying _plop_.

Ignis was apparently a faster learner than even Noctis had thought to give him credit for, because a moment later another lure whizzed through the air, landing just a few feet beside his own at nearly the exact distance Noctis had cast his. He huffed a laugh at the other man's self-satisfied smirk, elbowing him softly in the ribs and muttering, "Beginner's luck. Don't get too cocky yet, you still have to catch something."

The advisor didn't bother to dignify that with a response, and before long they lapsed into a companionable silence, watching the bobbers on their lures bounce up and down on the gentle current as the sun rose higher and higher into the sky. A gentle wind rustled the leaves on the trees and kept the warmth of the sun from becoming unpleasantly hot, and cicadas chirped from their hiding spots all around, filling the air with a peaceful sort of white noise that blended easily into the background. Noctis tipped his head back and closed his eyes, somewhere in the gray area between waking and sleeping as he waited for any indication of a bite.

He didn't know how long he had stayed there like that, enjoying the ambient sounds of nature while Ignis softly scribbled down recipe ideas and reminders in his ever-present notebook, when he finally heard the telltale splash of a bobber being jerked beneath the water. He immediately opened his eyes and blinked, squinting to try to see whose line the fish was on, and realized with some surprise that it was actually Ignis who had landed a bite.

"Specs, you got one!" he cried excitedly, causing Ignis to snap out of his thoughts and return his attention to the water. "Hurry, reel it in!"

"Right." Ignis took hold of the rod and began slowly reeling the line back in, eyes narrowing behind his glasses as he encountered some resistance that hadn't been present before. Noctis coached him as well as he could, although aside from the occasional tip about when to let the line back out a bit or change the direction he was pulling, he didn't really seem to need it. Before long the water above the lure started to churn violently, and Ignis reeled in faster, getting the lure nearly to the edge of the dock before giving one hard, upward tug and hoisting the fish into the air.

When he saw what his advisor had managed to reel in, Noctis's jaw dropped. Somehow, despite the fact that they weren't especially common in this area and generally preferred live bait, Ignis had managed to hook a rainbow trout, and a very large one, at that. At a glance, he guessed it was nearly two feet long, and at that length probably weighed around five to six pounds.

"Well. Guess we know what's for dinner tonight," Noctis deadpanned.

Ignis nodded, removing the hook from the trout's lip and handing it to Noctis while he moved the drinks out of the cooler to make room for his catch. "Indeed. We'll need to return to camp soon; I'd like to have it cleaned and gutted within the hour so that I can prepare it while it's still at peak freshness."

Noctis placed the fish on top of the ice and closed the cooler. "Sounds good, Iggy. Let me just get – uh?" He cut himself off in mid-sentence, noticing his own bobber dipping beneath the surface just an instant before he went to reel it in. "Alright! Looks like we'll be cooking two trout tonight!" He reeled it in as quickly as he could, finding that this fish put up a lot less fight than Ignis's had. That was fine by him, and within seconds he was tugging his own line out of the water, watching expectantly for the telltale pink stripe of a rainbow trout…

… only to be disappointed when, instead, his catch turned out to be a six-inch bluegill, completely useless for eating given it was made up of almost nothing but scales and bones. He groaned and removed the hook, tossing the scrawny thing back into the water and watching with disdain as it swam away. There was a quiet chuckle beside him, and he turned around to glare half-heartedly at Ignis.

"What was it you were saying earlier about 'not being too cocky,' Noct?" the advisor teased.

Finding that no brilliant comebacks immediately came to mind, Noctis did the only thing that seemed reasonable in that moment: he reached over and shoved Ignis off the edge of the dock, laughing out loud at the sound of the other man's indignant squawk before he disappeared beneath the surface. He waited a few seconds, still giggling as he waited for Ignis to come up for air, then began to get worried when after ten whole seconds he still hadn't seen so much as a ripple on the water.

"Specs?" he called, dropping down to his knees to peer over the edge of the dock for a sign of him. The water wasn't that deep, so it shouldn't have been difficult to spot him, but to his growing alarm, he still saw no movement. "Iggy?" he shouted louder. Nothing. He moved out as far over the edge as he could, the first touch of panic beginning to take over as he got ready to dive in after his advisor.

"Ign-" Noctis cut himself off with a yelp as Ignis sprang up from below and grabbed onto the collar of his shirt, yanking him headfirst off of the dock and down into the dusky water. It took him a moment to figure out which way was up, the unexpected dive leaving him slightly disoriented, and then he kicked up toward the surface. As soon as he broke through he gasped in a breath of fresh air, coughing as he glared daggers at his advisor.

"I thought you might care to join me for a swim," Ignis said nonchalantly, treading water just a few feet away and looking for all the world like the Coeurl who ate the Chocobo. His normally pristine hairstyle was soaked and had fallen down around his face, part of it plastered to his glasses so that Noctis was surprised he could even see. "It's quite refreshing on a day like today."

"Ohohoh, you just wait, Iggy. Next time you drive the car I might just decide to toss all your Ebony out the window!"

"That is one option, yes. But keep in mind, should you choose to do so, I also _might just decide_ to prepare nothing but vegetarian dishes for the foreseeable future."

"You suck," Noctis pouted, splashing water at him. He ducked underwater again before Ignis could return the favor, swimming quickly until he spotted the other man's long legs kicking slowly against the current. He reached out and tugged downward, laughing inwardly as Ignis was once again submerged, then popped above the surface and started swimming toward the riverbank to wait for him.

"Right, well," Ignis stated once he had resurfaced and climbed ashore as well, somehow still dignified as he shook the water from his hair like an indignant cat. "As much as I've enjoyed this, it would be wise for us to head back to camp before our dinner spoils."

"Yeah," Noctis agreed, still smiling as he stood and followed after him. He started to wring out his sodden shirt before deciding it was probably not worth the effort, then moved over to help pack up their supplies. A sudden breeze passed over the river and he shuddered, curling his arms against his chest. "Oh Shiva's _tits_, that's cold!"

Ignis stooped down and retrieved the picnic blanket, neatly folding it and banishing it to the Armiger before picking up the cooler containing the trout. "The faster we get back to camp, the sooner you can change into some dry clothes and sit by the fire."

"Sounds good to me." He fell into step beside Ignis, his heart lighter than it had been in a long time as they made their way back up the winding path toward the Haven. It occurred to him that Ignis had probably been planning this whole trip since the moment they reached the Haven yesterday. The thought made him smile softly to himself; trust the chamberlain to know exactly what he needed before he himself even did.

"Hey, Specs?" he asked quietly, slowing his pace a little until the other man turned to look at him.

"Something the matter, Noct?"

"Nah, just…" He moved closer as they kept walking, lowering his gaze and bumping his shoulder gently against Ignis's and hoping it conveyed all the things he couldn't put into words. "Thanks for having my back."

A gentle smile curled at the corners of Ignis's lips, and he placed a firm, reassuring hand on the prince's shoulder.

"Always, Your Highness."


End file.
